The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-08-25

looked in dazed way at first, met the
hilarity Of the strangers playing ball
with perplexed faces, then smiled
little. and finally laughed outright and
grew wide awake and took in the situ-
alton SO fully that the old spirit Of
Heron seized them, and they bethought
themselves how they could get some Of
the money that must be In the pockets
Of this windfall of newcomers.
By and by football grew firing and
the strangers wandered through the
place-all except the ladies, who clung
together in the large and fine hotel be-
side the track, built by the railroad
when Heron was the Paris of the West.
In their wandering the men looked
through the shattered windows, drank
at the bar of the saloon, and, led by
man who was used to the Chinese and
ranked them next to the Indians, and
only good when dead, marched straight
into the shabby shanties, without knock
ing, and saw one Chinawoman smoking
opium, several Cinnamon keeping store
on such q civilized plan that they asked
twenty-five cents pack for firecrackers,
and some others at home, with ships
hunks for beds, and few sets Of chop
sticks, and one bowl for table furniture
for six men at dinner.
1t was at this stage of the adventure
that the saloon-keeper's intellect came
to the rescue of the populace, and he pro-
posed what he called "a scrapping match"
I'VE hain't got no church, nor no thee
ayter here," he said, "but I've got
reg'lar twenty-four-foot prize ring back
of my bar, which l can set up in few
minutes"
Not half dozen of the passengers
favored the idea at first, but when the
originality of it and its strict accord with
the spirit of the dissipated old wreck of
place struck them, they made up purse
of SIS, the saloon-keeper and the populace
put up the four-sided "ring" Of stakes
and ropes and match was arranged.
Cooperating with and abetting this ring
(the single public institution Of Heron)
was young rough whose only pleasure
in life was fighting, and it was his
eagerness to "knock out anybody" and
his vociferous expression of that senti-
ment that prompted the saloon-keeper to
stir himself. The populace found col
ored man and urged him to fight the white
pugilist, but he said again and again that
he had no taste for fighting, and all
seemed hopeless, until some one men
toned the size of the purse in the dar-
ky's hearing, when he quickly changed
his mind and in another instant his
clothes, also, and was to be seen posing
like gladiator in a corner of the rope.
An assemblage of what seemed mighty
proportions sprang out of the earth Tor
seemed to, for you would not have
dreamed there were so many folks in
couple of such towns and trains), and the
fight went on hammer and tongs," as the
sporting reporters always say. The ne
gro proved a second Sullivan in ebony,
and in the course of half an hour had
nearly used up the white man and fitted
him for repentance in hospital, when
the saloon-keeper, who was referee, de-
cided the fight draw. The decision
pleased no one except the white man and
the referee who made it, but the one
most injured by 1.-THE colored man
merely shrugged his shoulders and said:
II fought dat was about what Africa
would get"
The last blows had been delivered and
received in twilight that had almost
turned to darkness, and fiercer battle
was waging between the passengers and
the mosquitoes. The golden glow of the
lamps in the Pullman were, therefore,
powerfully attractive, and their cleaning
was the last that we saw in and out of
Heron.